Ramaswamy files amicus brief in support of Trump's request to overturn Colorado ballot eligibility ruling
Ramaswamy filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court today in support of Trump, who has asked the high court to overturn the Colorado Supreme Court's ruling that he is ineligible to appear on the state's ballot.
In the 32-page filing, attorneys for Ramaswamy argue that the provision in question does not apply to Trump as a former president. They also suggest that Trump’s opponents doubt their ability to defeat him in the 2024 election and as a result have "resorted to antidemocratic methods."
"The conclusion is inescapable: President Trump’s political opponents have sought to disqualify him from the ballot in multiple states because they fear they cannot beat him in a free and fair election," they wrote.
Ramaswamy highlighted the move during a campaign stop in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. "Frankly I don’t know if they’re going to make the best legal arguments on their own,” said Ramaswamy, seemingly throwing shade at Trump’s legal team.
He also once again criticized his Republican rivals for declining to say they would remove themselves from the Colorado primary ballot if Trump was ultimately kicked off. "This is not how any of us should want to win," Ramaswamy said.
Hogan steps down from No Labels role
Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan is stepping away from his leadership role at No Labels, which is seeking to put together a bipartisan, third-party presidential ticket in 2024, the group confirmed to NBC News.
Hogan had been a key surrogate for No Labels after leaving the governor's mansion and declining to run for the Republican presidential nomination.
Former Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, No Labels founding chairman, said in a statement: “I think the world of Larry Hogan. He was a great governor and he’s been a great partner of mine as a fellow co-chair at No Labels. Whatever he does next, I know he will continue to be a powerful voice for common sense and national unity.”
Haley shrugs off Christie's hot mic comments
ANKENY, Iowa — Haley brushed off Christie's hot mic comments that “she's going to get smoked” and “not up to this.”
Asked by NBC News at a campaign event how she plans to convince voters that Christie is wrong, Haley responded: "I don’t have to convince people he’s wrong because nobody in that crowd is asking me about that. I mean, they see politics is not personal for me. It is for the fellas, it’s not for me."
She added: "We know that our goal is not to worry about petty things that others say. It’s more about, what do we need to do to get that next vote?"
Haley also declined to set clear expectations for caucus night Monday, only saying that she is looking for a "strong" performance.
"I think it’s important that if we show that we’re strong in Iowa, that gives us momentum going into New Hampshire," she said.
DeSantis warns Iowans that Trump is 'gaslighting' them
ROCK RAPIDS, Iowa — Campaigning in the far reaches of northwest Iowa this afternoon, DeSantis told a crowd of about 75 voters that they should be skeptical of Trump's “gaslighting.”
He pointed to comments Trump made last night in a televised Fox News town hall claiming that DeSantis was a “fan” of Dr. Anthony Fauci, which the governor quickly rejected here on stage. DeSantis has made his response to Covid in Florida a core tenant of his presidential bid.
“I think you as a voter should look at that and say if someone is gaslighting you like that, and just lying about this stuff, you know, you’ve got to hold that against them,” DeSantis cautioned.
Biden pushes back on Trump's economic crash comments: 'He's already Hoover'
President Joe Biden posted a video on X reacting to Trump's comments earlier this week hoping that an economic crash would occur in the next 12 months. "I don’t want to be Herbert Hoover," Trump said, referring to the president in office at the outset of the Great Depression.
In response, Biden said Trump is "already Herbert Hoover" because "he is the only other president who has lost jobs during his term."
Suffolk poll shows Trump with a wide lead in Iowa
A new Suffolk University poll shows a majority (54%) of likely Iowa Republican caucusgoers plan to back Trump on Monday.
That puts him well ahead of the rest of the GOP field: Haley is in second with 20%, followed by DeSantis with 13% and Ramaswamy with 6%. The survey, taken before Christie dropped out of the race, put the former New Jersey governor at 2%.
The results are consistent with other Iowa polls finding Trump with a wide lead heading into the lead-off Republican presidential nominating contest. Haley's 20% is her best showing in an Iowa poll of the entire race, but other surveys have not yet shown the same movement in her direction.
The Suffolk poll of 500 likely GOP caucusgoers was conducted Jan. 6-10 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points.
No Labels engages Christie allies on a potential third-party run
No Labels, the political organization seeking to put together a bipartisan, third-party presidential ticket in 2024, has actively engaged with Christie allies about his potential interest in joining the group’s ticket.
These conversations all happened before Christie dropped out yesterday, and some of them occurred in recent weeks, according to a source.
Several Christie allies and donors who spoke with NBC News said that they are skeptical he would be interested in any offer to run as a third-party candidate.
New Trump ad blasts Haley on Social Security
A new Trump campaign ad released today attacks Nikki Haley over her position on Social Security.
“Americans were promised a secure retirement. Nikki Haley’s plan ends that,” the narrator says, adding, “Haley’s plan cuts Social Security benefits for 82% of Americans. Trump will never let that happen.”
In an interview last year with NBC News’ Craig Melvin, Haley said, “Should we reform those entitlements [like Medicare and Social Security]? Yes. But should we take anything from people who’ve already been promised? No.”
She added, “The younger generation, we go and we do a new system on how they’re gonna get it. But you don’t take away from the ones who’ve already been promised.”
At a CNN Debate in Iowa last night, Haley doubled down on changing the retirement age for younger people, saying, "We’re going to look at those in their 20s. We have to go and start looking at what we can do to get out of this. We want to make sure that everybody who was promised gets it. But we also want to make sure our kids have something when they get it too."
Haley communications director Nachama Soloveichik responded to the ad in a statement: “All of Donald Trump’s attack ads prove that he is terrified of Nikki Haley’s rise. This is a two-person race between Nikki’s conservative vision for a strong and proud America and Trump’s continued obsession with the chaos and drama of the past.”
Haley continues debate attacks on DeSantis on the stump
Haley continued her attacks on DeSantis this morning — this time, focusing them on energy while addressing the Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit in Altoona, Iowa.
“Did he tell you that he co-sponsored five different bills to ban the renewable fuel standard?” Haley asked the crowd, who heard from DeSantis before she spoke. “Did he tell you he called out Trump and told him to stop offshore drilling in federal waters? Did he tell you that he banned fracking? Did he tell you that he banned offshore drilling? Because he did.”
DeSantis did not mention Haley during his remarks to the group.
New pro-Haley ad hits Trump over his 'temper tantrums'
SFA Fund Inc., a super PAC backing Haley, is out with a new ad today blasting Trump.
“Trump can’t stop lying about Nikki Haley,” the ad's narrator says. “One temper tantrum after another, his entire campaign based on revenge.”
The ad is running in New Hampshire, where Haley has been gaining ground on Trump in recent polls.
The narrator continues: “Trump is lying about Haley because he knows she’s the only one who can beat him.”
It’s not clear how much money SFA Fund Inc. is spending on this particular ad, but the group has $2.8 million worth of airtime booked in New Hampshire through Jan. 23, per AdImpact. That's more than any other group or campaign have booked in the Granite State over the next two weeks.